In the nick of time

 Do you ever feel that the days just blend one into the other? Am I making progress? Yes, but it seems that things take so much longer than you plan. 

I almost don't know what to do with myself with no immediate deadlines. HA - that's a laugh. I'm keeping myself motivated and have loads to do, and it will get done. 

One of the things on my list was to get to the library and free up my account as it was blocked. Why? I do NOT pay much attention to it since they went to the fine-free system. That means the library's computer does all the renewing. Somehow, THREE books got way overdue and could no longer be renewed, and I didn't see the email, and I was being charged for all three. That's what happens when you ignore email!

And I couldn't renew the other two I had, and I could NOT take any new books out. So I was stuck. All is fine now. But while I was there, I had a look around. Actually, I was looking for a book on Lightroom, but it wasn't on the shelf, even though it said it was. 

It's incredible because there is a book for EVERYTHING. 

Yes -- there are books on how to maximize your smart speaker. I'm sorry -- -but they are only getting data from me on the radio usage and timers, and that's all we use them for. And one of them isn't even connected at the moment. 

Books on how to use your smart speaker

And then this book title blew me away. If you are a lifestyle blogger and have nothing to write about, why are you writing? It seems a bit silly to be a blogger if you have to struggle to come up with topics. 

I peeked inside and got a laugh from some of the suggestions. If your weekend routine is boring, how do you make it interesting? I think some of that is you have it, or you don't. 

But this one made me laugh out loud! Yep --- if you take up quilting, that's tons of material. And get a dog!

Do you overthink things? There's a solution to cure that. 

But this one? What? I didn't even open this one up, but I should have. Oh well --- someone felt there was a need for this book. 

Speaking of books, I was cutting it short yesterday. I had an audiobook to finish, and I knew it would automatically get returned yesterday. Did I have enough time to finish it? Yes, I did but just. 

You see - at 4:23, it was due in TWO hours. 

Two hours left before the book is returned

And at 4:23, I had 1:32 minutes left. It was tight! 

There's still 1 hour and 32 minutes

I HATE running it that tight as I like the option of reading or not. I don't think I'll listen to any audiobooks today. I need a break. You have to be very intense and focused when you listen and do something else!

But I got work done in Studio B, not nearly as much as I thought I would, but enough to make it a good day. 

The hourglass units that were sitting on the table are now trimmed. 

Hourglass units are trimmed

And they got put away, and can you believe that I'm missing ONE unit before I can start to sew my scrappy quilt together. ONE!!! 

I'm missing ONE unit before I can sew my quilt

The last of the flannel squares are cut and ready to sew into the quilt. 

Flannel squares are cut

So this one is ready to be sewn together and fix that darn star! How many projects do you have in your stash that needs a bit of work before they can be finished? And it didn't take long to get a handle on this project. I'm not sure if I'll sew it here or wait until the next retreat. 

The flannel quilt is now ready to sew together

I also managed to get another customer quilt done. NO issues. The next one, which is HUGE, is on the machine and ready to go later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I spent the requisite 2½ hours at the computer in the morning working on paperwork. I haven't touched the emails yet, and I know I have more of the same today. I need a few more days before I can say I have a handle on that stuff. 

As I walked back and forth to the long arm yesterday, I was startled by something on the stairs. I glanced over, and this is what I saw. It was 4:59, and her feeding time was 5:00. I guess DH was intensively working and wasn't paying her any attention. She was just sitting there! Watching! What do you think is going through her head? 

MOM -- it's FIVE o'clock, and I'm hungry!

Then I was sitting outside on the deck, and this is the look I was getting. Woe is me! No way -- is her ball under the deck? DH said absolutely not. But I checked with my phone (as a camera), and sure enough, the ball was under the deck about where her nose was. It was TOO HOT to play, and even she knew that. 

Woe is me!! My ball is stuck under the deck!

Lexi was exhausted after our walk in the morning. Well, not so much exhausted as hot! I'm trying to brush her or pluck the excess hair off her every day, but it's hopeless. Every time I do that, it's like a snowstorm of dog hair in the backyard. And then it blows up and all over the place. 

Hey Mom -- who turned up the heat?

As I was starting out on my walk, my neighbor, who is moving out shortly, was in her garage. I asked how her garage sale went, and she had puzzles on a table. So I walked back home with FIVE puzzles. Four of the five are very small and can be done in no time flat, but they were all Jane Wooster or Charles Wysocki, and I love them. The big one had quilts on it! I'll make them and pass them along, so technically, they won't stay in my house long. I might even do one of them this week, just for something different. 

Jigsaw puzzles

And then back to the MacBook learning last night. OK -- so I found the software I installed, and I managed to open it and get some stuff done. Some of the directions in the book are going right over my head as I'm technically not going to be saving things on this computer, and I don't have any files to play with. I'm sure all those things can be done with Windows, and I don't know all the ins and outs of Windows either. 

However, I can find my program and open it up and work, and I can get around the keyboard -- no issues. I'm sure I won't be using the shortcuts -- I don't do them on my computer even though they exist. I want to go through a couple of other chapters, but I don't need the section on music and TV and other things that I will never use. 

But I swear if you happen to click on something like Apple Music -- a BIG button comes up to START LISTENING -- it's all about using their products. But I discovered the ONLY way to close that window was to hit the button START LISTENING, and then you could close the window. They will NOT fool me into using their stuff when I already have stuff set up with other devices. 

What I need to focus on now is how to use Parallel to split the computer into windows and mac. 

I love how everything is connected so quickly. My iPad -- it's connected and can be used as a second screen. That might be handy sometime, and my external speaker is already connected, and I did NOT do that. 

Well, I'm off to spin class. I'm tired -- but if I don't go, there is no other class, so off to that. Then I might have a nap this morning -- while I was tired yesterday, once I got to bed, I couldn't sleep, and I HATE when that happens. Fortunately, there is NOTHING on the agenda today -- well, nothing that I can't work around. 

Don't forget the Hamilton Quilt Show is THIS WEEKEND. Well, that's June 3 and June 4. Be sure to check it out!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Hanging by a thread

For once, that (title of the blog) does NOT refer to me and some crazy deadline. I'm so relaxed that - well, it's gazebo time!

Even in the heat, I was in the gazebo (with a sweatshirt on) and happy as a clam. It was glorious with the trees and the breeze until the sun came around the roofline and shone into the gazebo. 

I was supposed to be reading, but I had a nap instead. The scent of the lilacs and the tingle of the windchimes put me to sleep. 

Lilacs are in bloom

Of course, the girls were there to entertain, but I think it was too hot for Murphy to even think about playing ball. 

Murphy in the distance

Lexi came out of the house to check things out

Let's just say that the gazebo is my happy place, and I'm so lucky that it was here when we bought the house because I don't know if I would have thought about getting one. It needs to be repainted this year, so I must arrange that. I'm certainly not doing it --- I have too much other stuff to do. 

Great fun with the Monday sewing ladies, and what I love is that it was very relaxing, and I could work on whatever I wanted. So I worked on this! My chunk of the month, and I got one more section done. Yeah!!!

Section 4 of the Block of the Month

That's a total of 5 sections, only four more to go. This is on my UFO list for 2019 -- a little bit behind, and I'd really like to get it done since I'm this close. 

Five sections done

Where did the pattern come from? It's mine! I ran this as a block of the month with two of my local guilds back in 2013/2014. OH -- and if you want to see the show and tell from one of the guilds, check out this post. MANY people finished the quilt. Looking at what people did with their background choices -- I want to make the quilt again! The idea is that the background is supposed to be shaded from light in the top left corner to dark in the bottom right. However, that's a challenge with bright orange, but I believe it goes a bit darker in the bottom corner. 

Should you want a copy of it, let me know, and we can arrange something. It is NOT a very pretty pattern, and there are two tutorials on my blog for tips. I would write it differently if I had to rewrite the pattern. It's a bit of a challenge to twirl the seams in this one, and I was learning, so it's not too pretty. Now I know better! 

I'm not sure I'll have time to work on it today, but I hope to lay out the next section. 

The long arm is finally free and ready for the next quilt. The next quilt is already loaded and ready to go this morning. 

But this is what I had to deal with. That little sliver of white is where the fabric didn't get caught in the seam allowance in the middle. As the long arm went over it -- it pulled, and well, we had a bit of an issue. 

Ooops -- a very open seam

And that goodness, I know how to use that software for the long arm. I'm not sure how I even learned all this. But let's say that those blue dots (reference points) are CRITICAL to the success of any quilt. 

Reference point

I had ripped out the part that got messed up without removing the quilt from the long arm. Then it got rolled back up and ready to continue with the quilting. I had saved the pattern and hit the REPAIR button, and I chose the spot on the quilt corresponding to the location on the software. 

The point of repair

It was slightly out (the needle should be falling on the stitching line) that got moved, and away I went. 

Not quite lined up after the initial setting

The quilt was almost finished, so it didn't take long once the repair was done. And here it is -- the customer quilt, which I'll trim later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

This doesn't happen often, and while the open seam caused the issue, I should have checked the pattern placement more closely. So the ripping out required was MY fault. Grr -- lesson learned!!!!

Look at this tree which got damaged in the storm. It's literally hanging by a thread. You would think that the leaves would be wilted by now, but enough nutrients/moisture are going through that crazy join to keep the tree going? How is that possible? 

Hanging by a thread

We'll be in a total mess soon, and it will be like that for a couple of months. The front of the house is being totally dismantled. Ooops -- the front yard, not the house. I offered my neighbor that she could take any plants or mulch. Good grief -- she's taking my dirt!! Well, it's not a large flower bed, and it's all going, so I guess she might as well have it before it ends up in a dumpster! I can hardly wait -- the ENTIRE front yard will be gone and replaced with new. I'll take some before and then after and lots of during pictures for your (and mine) entertainment. 

The planter is being emptied

I don't know what was happening with Murphy, but she stood like this for a long time yesterday. She would lay in the sun, then come downstairs to cool off. Then back out to the deck. Silly girl. 

MOM -- I've been bad!

I walked to my local grocery store yesterday, which has gone through a total renovation, all while the store was open. Ceiling painted, new coolers, signs, cash registers, all the food moved into new places, the Star Bucks opened, and there are the cup holders! They are red -- not pink. I haven't used a grocery cart in years -- I only buy a few things at a time, so I use the baskets. 

Cup holders at the grocery store

Speaking of buying, there seems to be a shortage of freezer paper. Not sure why that is, but I don't think I need to worry. I have a lifetime supply of the darn stuff. 

A lifetime supply of freezer paper

We did hear yesterday that you could buy it at Treasure Hunt (thanks, Mary) -- a store that I've never heard of. Although other stores have carried it -- there seems to be a shortage, so it's possible that while Treasure Hunt sold it, they may not have any in stock. And someone sent me this link to a store called Cabela's (also Bass Pro). I'd be careful in case that's the brown butcher paper. Just checked -- yes, that's the brown stuff, so it's harder to trace through. Thanks, Barb!

And you can also buy freezer paper in sheets. Here's a link to Thimbles and Things, where they are waiting on the boxes, so all they have is sheets at the moment. 

Anyway, I'm not going to ever have to worry, and NO -- I won't sell any boxes. Just in case you were going to ask. 

I spent some time last night with my new MacBook. I'm starting at the front of that book and working through it. To be honest, I have ZERO ideas why everyone is so ga-ga about the MacBook. There is absolutely NOTHING in there that my laptop can't do. The buttons are the same (they might be called something different), file folders, all that stuff -- It's the SAME - just a proprietary laptop! I guess I have to dig deeper to see the big hoopla. Better security? I couldn't care less about that. Less crashes? I've had ZERO issues with any Windows products other than the computer wearing out! 

Learning the MacBook

I have a list of things to get done today, and one of them is to trim these hourglass blocks, which have been sitting on the cutting table for a while. I cut them and pressed them this morning, so all is ready to go later today. 

Hourglass units waiting to be trimmed

It's all about slow and steady! 

OK -- so my FitBit had another moment of insanity yesterday. Look at the number of steps I supposedly walked. That's about 70,000 MORE than I actually walked, but look at the KM -- only 12, which is typical for me, equating to about 16,000 steps. In my spin class, the Fitbit counted every revolution of the pedals as a step, and that's NEVER happened before. 

I'll be keeping an eye on it and see what happens in the future. Since I only clock KM, I don't really care about the steps. But very weird!!

I have masses of computer work to do today- well, it won't all get done today, but I'm working on it. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Shopping in person is AWESOME

 And so, another day of juggling has passed. Yeah! 

What happened to the weather? I swear we went from cool to HOT in less than 60-seconds. It was so hot yesterday that I didn't go for a walk in the afternoon. I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy. After dinner, I walked home from the restaurant, so I got in my 11.5 KM for the day. Lots of walking at home, and I was outside doing some yard work for a bit. 

I had to clean out the filters and the pump in the pond, and yes -- Murphy was there supervising me and checking how quickly her ball could get caught in the filter. I swear - she's an attention-seeker for sure!

OH --- so remember that fabric collection I shared with you the other day? Look at the fabrics I'm using to make my Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt. 

Fabrics for Green Tea and Sweet Beans

While this has a different vibe, it's still bright and cheery. So I will be happy with what I have and use it up! There will be loads of this leftover, and I have some matching solids as well, so I'll need to find another quilt to use it in. THEN, maybe I'll consider buying more fabric. LOL  -- what a silly goose I am! 

I had to switch some classes from last weekend to this weekend (thanks to everyone for their accommodating me!), and both presentations are ready to go today! Not sure how that happened, but I'm getting really fast and remembering how everyone sends me pictures. Some come via e-mail, some through messenger or text, and others I pull from Facebook. It's crazy, but the system is working!

OH -- and here's a tease to those who follow my classes; I spent a few minutes yesterday browsing the Thimbles and Things website, and I found TEN ideas for sew-alongs. If you want to try and guess, go to the list of books on their site. I will be teaching the Tula Pink Butterfly as a sew-along starting in October, and there will be ONE other sew-along. So we have to whittle that list of ten down to ONE. I won't be running any myself (they will all be held through a store), and there will likely be two more through The Hobby Horse. That will make FOUR, and that is it for sew-alongs. 

There will be a few clubs:

• Digital cutters (Cricut, Silhouette, Scan and cut) 
• EQ8 
• Embroidery software (that will have to be specific to mySewnet)
• UFO Clubs (there are two of those)
• Machine embroidery (any brand machine works)
• Out of the Box challenge
• Private one for Mixed Media - so that's not private any longer! 

So there's a preview of what to expect in the fall or January 2023 for some of them. It's all about having fun, learning new things, keeping each other company, and doing things I want to do! Because it's all about ME! See, Murphy and I are very much alike!

OK -- so I posted this on Facebook the other day, but here's the story behind it. I struggled with making this decision and finally came down to the fact that I wanted it. I don't need it, but I want it. Why? Because I ran into people asking for help with their embroidery software on a MAC, and I couldn't help them. So I popped into Best Buy the other day to buy a MacBook Air. 

The box for the MacBook Air

I know -- just call me crazy as I VOWED I would NEVER buy an Apple computer. NEVER. Now you can call me a liar! My plan is to partition this computer as part Windows and part Mac, which is possible on a Mac but not Windows. Why? Because Apple wouldn't NEVER allow that - that's why. They are so darn proprietary it makes your head spin. 

And so many people comment, "I LOVE my Apple," but no one has yet to tell me why. So why is that? I love Windows, and it's super easy to use, things communicate to each other easily, and super easy to set up, so I wonder what this big attraction to Mac is? I think it's like a cult --- you want in because someone tells you how good it is, and it's not. 

One thing that miffs me is that darn picture above. The laptop looks slim, but it still weighs 2.8 pounds which is VERY heavy as far as I'm concerned. If you're going to make it thin -- make it light. Sigh.................

However, I lucked out at the store. The staff are extremely helpful and make sure that someone is there to help you. I got Rashid, who usually works in the cell phone area, but he was on hand to help with the computer purchase. He has the MacBook Pro, so he was the perfect person to help me. 

I don't usually research things I want to buy, but I had done some homework, and I was able to respond to all his questions, and I told him exactly what I wanted. We were a good team. 

We talked about accessories, and this is something that I may end up buying but didn't that day. It's an adapter, so those darn USB-C ports (used extensively by Apple) can translate into USB ports that most everyone else uses. 

An adapter

The other three accessories that I wanted were not in stock in the store, so Rashid went online and processed the order. He made suggestions as to what would work and what would be the best buy (no pun intended) and then placed that order. I already got the items delivered yesterday. 

My box of accessories

There's no need to carefully pack a box these days. There was no inside packaging, which is good -- no junk to get rid of. 

The accessories

I got a mouse because I hate trackpads, and I got an external hard disk because I don't want ANYTHING sitting on the computer's hard drive. I'm going to remove everything from my other laptop, so all laptop stuff is sitting on the same hard drive. I haven't opened that hard drive yet, but it's tiny. About 2" by 3" and ½" thick. It's 1 Terabyte of data storage and costs about $100. Unbelievable!!!  The prices and sizes have been reduced to practically nothing. 

And look at the thumb drive I bought. It has BOTH USB and USB-C on it -- one on either end. But look how small it is. That darn glucosamine pill (I am trying to learn to take regularly) is almost as large as the drive! That is 64 GB. Good lord -- what am I going to do with all this storage? 

A tiny thumb drive 

I was at the store for over an hour and had a great time with Rashid as we discussed the ins and outs of my purchase. Then he fixed up my maintenance subscription, so I got some deals and continued to pay the same monthly fee with all the new stuff added. I got the student rate for the computer, and one of the store leads had to be involved in the purchase as well, and well -- it was a VERY POSITIVE experience. 

They talked about their competition, and Rashid told me I could go to that big online store and buy the accessories, and I told him I would NEVER do that, so he processed an order through Best Buy. Then they asked if I purchased products from Costco because they have very aggressive pricing on service plans, and I told him I NEVER shop there either. I think they really liked me for my reaction! And seriously -- if I had purchased online, I would never have learned all that I did from Rashid and his product choice and why! 

Would I buy there again? You bet -- I always buy my electronics in person, and I bet there will be NO returns from me, and well -- you would NEVER get that kind of service online. It's all about attitude and knowledge as well. I went prepared but still had lots of questions. It was pleasant -- hey, it was an outing, and it was a fun morning. 

In the afternoon, I stopped by Indigo (bookstore) to peek at the magazines, and I noticed this book. Well, I'm not a senior -- remember, I got the student rate for the computer. 

A book for senior's on learning the MacBook

But HEY -- I wonder if the library has a book on learning a MacBook.  A quick search on the library app on my phone revealed that there was a book (2022); it was on the shelf and just happened to be at the branch across the street from me (we have 18 branches in our city). It was my lucky day as I happened to have my library card on me, so off I went. 

A book I borrowed on learning the MacBook Air

I figure if I spent that kind of money, I'd better learn how to use every last feature of the thing, although I'm not planning to use the Apple side of it much, and it's something else to learn. 

So after dinner, I got it out and opened it up. OK -- so the set-up seems pretty straightforward -- automatically connected to the Wi-Fi. I wouldn't have expected less, as the new PFAFF creative icon 2 has that same easy set-up. 

However, when it came to entering my Apple ID, that was another story. I have an Apple ID -- I think it was when I got an iPad a while back. And well, I've struggled with it ever since my e-mail changed and my old e-mail was attached to the ID. 

What was frustrating was that when I tried my current e-mail address, I got this message. So I decided to create a new ID, and it said the e-mail was in use somewhere else. Seriously???  Oh yes -- the air was BLUE in the kitchen. 

Error message

I finally had to get my iPad, and between the two devices, I managed to get the Apple ID up and running. I had to set up a couple of passwords. Do you think I could use the external keyboard on the iPad? NOPE -- I had to detach it. More blue words. 

I needed the iPad to get the Apple ID to work

I have NO idea how many times I was asked to put in my password. Next step -- password, please. Next step - password, please. Seriously --- if that is an ongoing thing, I will return it. I won't care about those customers who need support on the MAC version of the software. It's like going into Fort Knox. Good grief --- it's a computer. OK -- I know it's a gateway to the internet, but if it can't protect me without entering all those darn passwords, I'm not impressed so far. 

And then I got this message. Sault Sainte Marie in Michigan??? I was sitting at my kitchen table connected to a router with an IP address, and the darn computer should have known where the heck that was. I just laughed. 

Seriously???

At last, I was in, and I even managed on the iPad to finally get rid of that old e-mail address from my Apple ID. The passwords are written down in a book because I will never remember them. But then I got a message that my iCloud storage was full and did I want to purchase more, and I said NO. 

And I get this screen. So far, so good, but still a stupid setup for that ID thing. 

Home screen

Let me install the embroidery software. I managed to find my way to the internet and downloaded it. 

Successfully downloaded the software

Hmmm  -- where is it??? The screen looks the same as when I started. 

But where is it???

So that will be on the agenda to find where the program got installed and how to access it. Then the fun begins as I plan to use Parallel to split the hard disk into Mac and Windows. It's supposed to be easy and allows me to seamlessly switch between the two platforms. 

We'll see how that goes! Who says technology scares me? Bring it on!!! 

I see that I've run out of time, so the rest of the stuff will have to wait until tomorrow. But I have been tidying up Studio B, and I'm keeping it neat and tidy, making me very happy. I have lots of stuff going on today. I was hoping to get to an art show this afternoon, but that will have to wait until next week as it's tight between my presentations that I'm presenting and a presentation on the Cricut Maker this afternoon. That's done with the MakerFest hosted by our region. It's free for anyone to join. Here's the link to register if you want. It's free. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day, and don't forget to pick something NEW to learn!!!! It's so much fun and don't forget the in-person shopping. I highly recommend it, especially for those that want to get out of the house.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!